Tough One...

[Allen42]

Ok, this is probably impossible.

On my last trip to Coz, while hanging at my safety, I witnessed a courtship ritual of two very pretty fish. It was awesome to watch.

I'd like to be able to name the fish when I tell the story. Here's as much of a description as I can tell:

Bright Royal Blue
About 6-8" long
Most distinctive trait... it's body was triangular when viewed from the front. About 4" tall or so, about 1 - 1.5" at the base.

The courting was performed by the fish swimming around each other in circles, with one fish often nibbling at the other's midsection, right behind the side fins. This all took place from 10' to 17' deep.

I'm hoping there are some real experts out there that might point me to some pics, where I could recognize these little randy fish!

-Allen

 

[hodgson]

Blue Tang maybe?

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/BlueTang/BlueTang.html


The bright blue got me thinking of this one.

 

[nwscubamom]

I'm thinking not a Blue Tang, because they usually spawn in larger aggregations, and if they do pair off to spawn, the male will have a white face.

The shape of the fish seems to point more towards something in the Boxfish family...I'll see what I can dig up.

As you know, fish can change color dramatically when mating or guarding eggs, so bright blue might not be the fish's normal coloring. Gotta go more off shape and size to narrow this one down perhaps!

 

[scubajoe]

I ran the info you provided through the search on my Reef Series program and it came up with cow fish and trunk fish. I have never seen one solid blue but with fish you never know.
The color you describe sounds like a tang to me too.
Good luck with your search.
Joe

 

[Kettle]

Definately doesn't sound like tang mating behaviour and the body shape doesn't fit either.

 

[Allen42]

The blue color looks about right, perhaps less purple and more blue, though. And those pics didn't ring any bells.

Wow, know I know how a crime witness must feel. The bad thing is that I had a camera on that trip, just not that dive... and that's the dive with the sharks, and these fish.... isn't that about right?

Thanks for the help, guys, please keep trying!

These little guys really reminded me of vidoes of watching eagles mate. They'd pretty much entwine for a bit with the nibbling, etc going on, then one would seperate and swim off a few feet... the other would catch up to it and it would start over.

 

[Gymnothorax]

It could have been a Filefish. they perform a courtship dance, they do this with their triggers out giving them a triangular look.

 

[cdiver2]

Ive seen cow fish turn an electric blue while trying to coral them into a area for photographs and again when another cow fish started to nip it by the pectoral fin, Hope this helps.

 

[SpyderTek]

I have a fish that you describe almost exactly in my tank. The size, the "dance", and the shape. Only the color is different on my fish...

Turretfish

Spydertek

 

[nwscubamom]

I think cdiver2's onto something!!

Ive seen cow fish turn an electric blue while trying to coral them into a area for photographs and again when another cow fish started to nip it by the pectoral fin, Hope this helps.

That nipping behavior sounds like the mating that allen42 saw! The shape, the color, the size checks out perfectly...and look at this website!
http://www.cowfishes.com/honeycomb.html

I've also got a photo of a Honeycomb Cowfish on my website:
http://www.pnwscuba.com/bonaire.htm

Way to go! Is this similar to what you saw, Allen?

And SpyderTek, your Turretfish looks VERY similar to a Cowfish, and I think is in the same Family, but doesn't seem to be located in Cozumel, (according to FishBase) where Allen had his sighting.